Double-ended metal halide arc discharge lamps are known. Some kinds of these lamps have achieved wide usage in entertainment lighting. One particular version of such a lamp is designated SharXS® and is produced by Osram Photo-Optic. Lamps of this type are available from Osram Sylvania Inc., Danvers, Mass. 01923. These lamps are provided in wattages from 200 to 1200 and operate at quite high temperatures. In fact, typical operating temperatures in area of the socket are in the range of 200 to 300° C. It is, of course, imperative that the sockets employed with these lamps also be able to operate for long periods of time at such temperatures and still maintain good electrical contact. One type of socket for double-ended lamps is shown and described in German Gebrauchmuster No. 295 04 517, filed Mar. 22, 1995. The socket utilizes a pair of spaced ceramic bodies containing electrical contacts in the form of a single spring that often results in poor contact resistance. To solve the latter problem a lamp socket has been supplied that provides supplemental springs. Such a socket is shown in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/930,664, filed Aug. 31, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,059,888, issued Jun. 13, 2006, and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention and, while it solves the poor resistance problem, makes the lamp somewhat more difficult to remove from the socket because of the high frictional forces existing between the lamp contacts and the socket springs and because many luminaries have limited space, making it extremely difficult for an operator to get his or her hands into an appropriate position to remove an old lamp and insert a new one.
The latter problem is addressed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/397,043, filed Apr. 3, 2006 and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention, wherein is taught a lamp socket provided with a bulb removal feature in the form of a pivotable lever. While that solution is workable, mounting the lever and maintaining its position is problem.